Gamestop sales hit $5.3 billion in 2006

A report on Next Generation lays out Gamestop's financial performance for the fiscal year 2006. Needless to say, the world of game retail is as lucrative as ever, even if Gamestop has been making every effort to diminish it in size for consumers. Full-year sales experienced a surge of 72%, from $3.1 billion to $5.3 billion. Out of that, annual net earnings for the year, ending February 3, rose to an impressive $158.3 million, while operating income went up to $334 million.

Furthermore, Gamestop has expressed plans to open between 500 and 550 more stores worldwide. The group is counting on a strong first quarter in 2007, powered by the likes God of War II, the Pokémon franchise and several Xbox 360 titles. With so much economic momentum, don't expect Gamestop to roll over and change their questionable pre-owned game prices or their definition of "new" anytime soon.